Manned spacemission to Mars? Yeah, right.

[Ogre]

Fatally? Not hardly. I said I’ll read it, and I will. If he changes my mind, wonderful.

But you do seem to be rather a pugnacious asshole.

[Michael_Ellis]

Yo, Tart!

[Weirddave]

Originally posted by 'possum stalker
I wish GW would stop irradiating interplanetary space.
Asshole

Yea! And then we can stop all those fucking stars from irradiating interplanetary space too!

[Typo_Negative]

So, give it up, 'cause it ain’t gonna happen, not with Shrub having dropped us down into the deepest pits of debt thanks to his fabulous combination of tax cuts and spending increases.

Damn you for making agree with Brutus!!

My paraphrasing of the OP is as follows:

“We ain’t going to Mars (not that it’s possible anyhoo) and it’s Bush’s fault.”

Inconsistant, at best. If it’s not possible to go to Mars, than it can hardly be Bush’s fault.

But wrong on both counts. I agree that Bush’s war on Iraq and it’s cost is an obstacle, but we will go to Mars. When? No idea. Why? Because, as was stated on The West Wing, “that’s what’s next”. We figure out how to get a man on Mars, then figure out how to go out farther. It’s a big universe with a lot to teach us.

[Paul_in_Qatar]

Difficult, but doable. Wouldn’t be any fun to go if it was easy.

[prisoner6655321]

*Originally posted by gobear *
**So then we come across the problem of radiation shielding. Unfotunately, the NASA Web site pretty much ignores the question except to say that it is risky. This **New York Times article explains exactly how risky. Astronauts on a Mars mission would get hammered from all direction by particles moving at nearly the speed of light. The shielding need to protect the astronauts from radiation and emergency shelter from solar flares would be cost-prohibitive. And that’s not even getting into food, water, the decalcification of bones in zero-g environments, and a myriad of other difficulties that need to be sorted out before a mission could be sent.
**

I love (and hate) this argument. I did a project on a spaceship (at the Sasekawa International Center for Space Architecture at the University of Houston*) that could go to Mars. You answer the problem in your own statement. The answer to the radiation problem is WATER! A mere 6" of water provides enough radiation protection to shelter the crew during periods of solar activity, more than lead and concrete do (by weight). And water has a short half life so it becomes safe to drink only hours after it has been exposed. The solar storm shelter will simply be encased inside the water.

Food is not a problem.

A (large) ship spinning at Mars gravity, or 1/3 Earth g (one rpm) would be enough to prevent bone density loss.

Of course water still is VERY expensive to get up into space. Yet another reason for a moon station. I am very optimistic about this.
*We worked with Bob Bigelow, who was planning on building a hotel in space. link. Our design could be used as a hotel to go around the moon, or to go to Mars.

[Lynn_Bodoni]

This thread was started by a returning troll, so I’m closing it. Y’all can continue to debate the merits of the space program and how it should be funded in GD, or continue to bash Bush in the Pit, but not in this thread.

Lynn
For the Straight Dope